Difficulties in learning English idioms

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC DÂN LẬP HẢI PHÒNG
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ISO 9001:2015
KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP
NGÀNH: TIẾNG ANH
Sinh viên : Trịnh Thị Kiều Anh
Giảng viên hướng dẫn : Th.S Nguyễn Thị Phương Thu
HẢI PHÒNG - 2019

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRANING
HAIPHONG PRIVATE UNIVERSITY
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DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH IDIOMS OF
STUDENTS AT FACULTIES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND
SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
GRADUATION PAPER
Student : Trinh Thi Kieu Anh
Class : NA1804
Supervisor : Nguyen Thi Phuong Thu, M.A
HAI PHONG - 2019

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC DÂN LẬP HẢI PHÒNG
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NHIỆM VỤ ĐỀ TÀI TỐT NGHIỆP
Sinh viên: Trịnh Thị Kiều Anh Mã SV: 1412751127
Lớp: NA1804 Ngành: Ngoại ngữ
Tên đề tài: Difficulties in learning English idioms of students at faculties of
foreign languages and some suggested solutions.

NHIỆM VỤ ĐỀ TÀI
1. Nội dung và các yêu cầu cần giải quyết trong nhiệm vụ đề tài tốt nghiệp
( về lý luận, thực tiễn, các số liệu cần tính toán và các bản vẽ).
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2. Các số liệu cần thiết để thiết kế, tính toán.
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3. Địa điểm thực tập tốt nghiệp.
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CÁN BỘ HƯỚNG DẪN ĐỀ TÀI TỐT NGHIỆP
Người hướng dẫn thứ nhất:
Họ và tên: Nguyễn Thị Phương Thu
Học hàm học vị: Thạc sĩ
Cơ quan công tác: Đại học Dân lập Hải Phòng
Nội dung hướng dẫn: Difficulties in learning English idioms of students at
faculties of foreign languages some suggested solutions.
Người hướng dẫn thứ hai:
Họ và tên:.............................................................................................
Học hàm, học vị:...................................................................................
Cơ quan công tác:.................................................................................
Nội dung hướng dẫn:............................................................................
Đề tài tốt nghiệp được giao ngày 03 tháng 01 năm 2019
Yêu cầu phải hoàn thành xong trước ngày 00 tháng 00 năm 2019
Đã nhận nhiệm vụ ĐTTN Đã giao nhiệm vụ ĐTTN
Sinh viên Người hướng dẫn
Hải Phòng, ngày ...... tháng........năm 2019
Hiệu trưởng
GS.TS.NGƯT Trần Hữu Nghị

PHẦN NHẬN XÉT CỦA CÁN BỘ HƯỚNG DẪN
1. Tinh thần thái độ của sinh viên trong quá trình làm đề tài tốt nghiệp:
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2. Đánh giá chất lượng của khóa luận (so với nội dung yêu cầu đã đề ra trong
nhiệm vụ Đ.T. T.N trên các mặt lý luận, thực tiễn, tính toán số liệu…):
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3. Cho điểm của cán bộ hướng dẫn (ghi bằng cả số và chữ):
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Hải Phòng, ngày … tháng … năm
Cán bộ hướng dẫn
(Ký và ghi rõ họ tên)

QC20-B17
CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM
Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phúc
PHIẾU NHẬN XÉT CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN HƯỚNG DẪN TỐT NGHIỆP
Họ và tên giảng viên:
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Đơn vị công tác: ........................................................................
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Họ và tên sinh viên: .......................................... Chuyên ngành:
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Đề tài tốt nghiệp: ...................................................................................................
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Nội dung hướng dẫn: ..........................................................
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1. Tinh thần thái độ của sinh viên trong quá trình làm đề tài tốt nghiệp
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2. Đánh giá chất lượng của đồ án/khóa luận (so với nội dung yêu cầu đã đề ra trong
nhiệmvụ Đ.T. T.N trên các mặt lý luận, thực tiễn, tính toán số liệu…)
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3. Ý kiến của giảng viên hướng dẫn tốt nghiệp
Được bảo vệ Không được bảo vệ Điểm hướng dẫn

QC20-B17
Hải Phòng, ngày … tháng … năm ......
Giảng viên hướng dẫn

CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM
Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phúc
PHIẾU NHẬN XÉT CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN CHẤM PHẢN BIỆN
Họ và tên giảng viên:
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Đơn vị công tác: ........................................................................
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Họ và tên sinh viên: ...................................... Chuyên ngành:
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Đề tài tốt nghiệp: .........................................................................
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1. Phần nhận xét của giáo viên chấm phản biện
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2. Những mặt còn hạn chế
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3. Ý kiến của giảng viên chấm phản biện
Được bảo vệ Không được bảo vệ Điểm phản biện

Hải Phòng, ngày … tháng … năm ......
Giảng viên chấm phản biện

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Miss Nguyen Thi
Phuong Thu, MA- the lecturer of foreign language faculty, Haiphong Private
University for her enthusiastic guidance, assistance and encouragement.
My sincere thanks go to all the teachers in Foreign Language Department
of Haiphong Private University for their endless enthusiast, valuable teaching
and tremendous assistance. I would also like to thank students of Haiphong
Private University who enthusiastically help me complete the survey
questionnaires.
Finally, I am very grateful to my family and all my friends who have
helped and given me many encouragements as well as supplied me with
materials during the time this graduation paper was done.
Hai Phong, March 2019
Trinh Thi Kieu Anh

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1
1. Rationale ......................................................................................................... 1
2. Aims of the study ............................................................................................ 1
3. Scope of the study ........................................................................................... 2
4. Methods of the study ....................................................................................... 2
5. Design of the study.......................................................................................... 2
PART II: DEVELOPMENT................................................................................ 4
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ............................................. 4
1.1.An overview of idioms .................................................................................. 4
1.1.1.Definitions of idioms ................................................................................. 4
1.1.2.Types of idioms.......................................................................................... 6
1.1.3.The importance of learning English idioms ............................................... 8
1.2.The characteristics of English idioms............................................................ 8
1.2.2. Non-substitutability ................................................................................... 9
1.2.3.Non-modifiability....................................................................................... 9
1.2.4. Institutionalization..................................................................................... 9
1.3. The distinctions between idioms and proverbs. .......................................... 10
1.3.1. English idioms and proverbs ................................................................... 10
1.3.2. Vietnamese idioms and proverbs............................................................. 10
1.4. Popular idiom examples ............................................................................. 12
CHAPTER 2: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ENGLISH
AND VIETNAMESE IDIOMS......................................................................... 16
2.1. Similarities between English and Vietnamese idioms. ............................... 16
2.2. Differences between English and Vietnamese idioms ................................ 17
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................... 19
3.1. Survey questionnaires on difficulties in learning English idiom at HPU.... 19
3.1.1. Participants .............................................................................................. 19
3.1.2. Purpose of survey questionnaires ............................................................ 19
3.1.3. Data analysis............................................................................................ 19
3.2. Student’s difficulties when learning English idioms .................................. 24

3.2.1. The richness and diversity of the English idioms requires a sufficient
cultural background knowledge to fully comprehend and master them. ........... 24
3.2.2. English idioms can not easily be understood by defining their
components. ...................................................................................................... 25
3.2.3. Most of English idioms need to be understood basing on their figurative
meanings. .......................................................................................................... 25
3.2.4. English idioms are fixed in their form, both in grammar and vocabulary. ..
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3.3. Some suggested solutions........................................................................... 26
3.3.1. Studying English idioms basing on classifying them into categories. ..... 26
3.3.2. Studying English idioms through their origins. ...................................... 29
3.3.3. Studying English idioms through pictures, songs, games, etc. ............... 30
3.3.4. Comparing English idioms and their Vietnamese equivalents................. 31
3.3.5. Learning five to ten idioms each week. .................................................. 32
3.3.6. Making a guess at the meaning of idioms before checking them in
dictionaries. ....................................................................................................... 32
3.3.7. Making sentences when learning a new idiom. ...................................... 32
3.3.8. Studying idiomatic expressions through English songs, poems, funny
stories, media communication, idiom games and quizzes, etc........................... 32
PART III: CONCLUSION................................................................................ 34
1. Conclusion..................................................................................................... 34
2. Suggestions for further study......................................................................... 34
REFERENCES.................................................................................................. 35
APPENDIX .......................................................................................................... 35

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PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
English is considered a global language and used in every field of our life.
The aim of learners is to have good skills of communication in English. In order
to get that aim, besides good knowledge of grammar, learners need to have a
plentiful source of vocabulary. However, to master all the English words
somehow is always a question raised. Learners have many difficulties when they
learn vocabulary because of its formation and usages in communication.
Practically, study the similarities and differences between the English and
Vietnamese languages and the cultures they imply is one of my concerns when
studying English at University. It is clear that there are many differences
between the two languages as grammar, lexicology, phonetics and a number of
other things, which leads to the differences in metaphorical meaning implied in
literature, idioms expression.
Apart from improving four skills including Listening, Speaking,
Reading and Writing, it will be a big shortcoming when studying a foreign
language without taking notice of the treasure of idioms and proverbs of the
country where it was born. Studying and applying creatively English idioms and
proverbs help students reach the flexibility in using this language and the
creativity of simple but vivid sentences in daily speech. Because idioms are a
part of culture, understanding them is the key for leaners to know more about
the target nation as well as its custom and culture. Therefore, it is necessary and
interesting to study English idioms. However, one language is different from
another. Therefore, the way individual words are used and the rules of making
sentences are dissimilar in different language. As a result, it is not easy for
leaners to understand and translate the metaphorical meaning of idioms from
one language to another. To cope with this difficulty, I want to conduct a study
on English idioms. Due to the limitation of my graduation paper’s scope and
time, I would like to focus on difficulties in learning English idioms at faculties
of foreign language and give some suggested solutions.
2. Aims of the study
This study is done with the hope to reach some aims at:
 Giving knowledge of idioms.
 Distinguishing the similarities and differences between English and
Vietnamese idioms.

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 Helping learners use right idioms in right situations.
 Helping the leaners solve problems when studying idioms as well as
understand the meaning and usage of English idioms.
3. Scope of the study
Idioms are a treasure of each country and all that I know about them is
very little because of its immense number. It can be seen in every situation when
we learn English. Thus it is impossible for me to go through all of them.
Therefore, I want to focus on students difficulties when learning idioms:
o The importance of learning idioms and its relation to its nation’s
culture.
o Some popular English idioms and their equivalence in Vietnamese.
4. Methods of the study
In order to learn English idioms and their equivalence in Vietnamese
better, with a hope that learners could see the role of idioms in life, the
following methods are used in the studying process:
- Firstly, having discussions with my supervisor and friends.
- Secondly, collecting materials from the internet, books, dictionaries
and other documents.
- Thirdly, analyzing idioms and comparing them with proverbs to find
out some differences and similarities between them and the reasons leading to
these similarities and dissimilarities.
- Finally, acknowledging the differences and similarities between
English and Vietnamese idioms, especially those relating to difficulties in
learning English idioms, it help me to have an insight into the difficulties faced
by Vietnamese learners of English when studying English idioms. From there,
some useful solutions are suggested to help foreign language students solve their
problems in understanding and using those English idioms.
5. Design of the study
For a clear organization, I divide my study into three main parts:
 Part I is the “ Introduction” that mentions the reason, the aim, the
scope, the method and the design of the study.
 Part II is entitled “ Development” consisting of three chapters:

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 Chapter 1: Theoretical background, dealing with the definitions,
common features of idioms, the importance of learning English idioms, and
students difficulties in learning English idioms.
 Chapter 2: The differences and similarities between English and
Vietnamese idioms.
 Chapter 3: Some difficulties facing learners of English and some
suggested solutions.
 Part III is the “ Conclusion”, summarizing what have been discussed
in the previous parts.

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PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.1. An overview of idioms
It is important to recognize that idioms are not only colloquial expressions
as many people believe, but also a special form of language that it carries a
large amount of cultural information, such as history, geography, religion,
custom, thinking pattern and so on. They appear in formal style, in slang, in
poetry, … To research idioms, first of all, we must understand what is an idiom.
In the definition of idioms, some scholars emphasize on the word quantity of
structure in idioms. That is to say, how many language units constitute the
idioms? Is it except phrases, word groups, and words or sentences can also
make up to the idioms? Others emphasize the single meanings of idioms and it
refers that the idiom’s meaning is arbitrary. Meaning of idioms can not be
synthesized or cut apart. Therefore different people hold the different opinions
on the definitions of idioms. So we must understand idiom exactly through
research. We are unlikely to give an ideal definition to the idioms. Therefore,
we should give a few definitions to better understand.
1.1.1. Definitions of idioms
Dubrovin (1995) defines "idiom" to be a set of phraseological units whose does
not result from the meaning of its components.
The definition by Dean Curry (1994) is “the assigning of a new meaning to a
group of words which already have their own meaning”.
Moon (1998) says that idioms are typically institutionalized, lexico-
grammatically fixed and non-compositional expressions.
Collins (2000) defines idioms as a group of words which have a different
meaning when used together from the one it would have if the meaning of each
word were taken individually and that are usually employed in everyday
language to precisely express ideas and concepts that can not be compressed into
a single word.
(http://www.languageinindia.com/june2009/urduidioms.pdf)
According to Irujo (1986), “An idiom is a conventionalized expression whose
meaning cannot be determined from the meaning of its parts” and “Idioms differ

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from other figurative expressions, such as similes and metaphors, in that they
have conventionalized meanings”.
(http://pc171115.pc.waseda.ac.jp/ccdl/cl_korea/0515_handout-body.html)
An idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is
comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate
from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made.
(http://www.alienartifacts.com/Idiom/encyclopedia.htm)
An idiom is a combination of words that has a meaning that is different from the
meanings of the individual words themselves. It can have a literal meaning in
one situation and a different idiomatic meaning in another situation.
(http://www.idiomconnection.com/whatis.html)
For examples:
a. “let the cat out of the bag” means “to reveal a secret, to let somebody know a
secret”.
E.g: We'd planned a surprise party for Donna, but some guy she works with let
the cat out of the bag, so now she knows.
Don't forget that this is a secret, so whatever you do, don't let the cat out of the
bag!
b. “feel like a million dollars” means “to feel wonderful, to feel well and
healthy, both physically and mentally”.
E.g: A quick swim in the morning makes me feel like a million dollars.
c. “beat about the bush” means “to avoid coming to the point, to approach a
subject in a round-about manner, instead of coming directly to it”.
E.g: Stop beating about the bush and answer my question!
d. “break the ice” means “to say or do something friendly in order to overcome
shyness or to ease tension in a social situation”.
E.g: The hardest part about a first date is breaking the ice. To break the ice,
let's invite our new neighbors to lunch.
e. “to give up” means “to stop doing something”.
E.g: If you give up smoking, your health will surely improve a lot. Finally, they
gave up the search because they were exhausted.
f. “to hold one's horses” means “to stop and wait patiently for someone or
something”. It comes from a time when people rode horses and would have to
hold their horses while waiting for someone or something

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E.g: "Hold your horses," I said when my friend started to leave the store.
The above explanations and examples are extracted from
http://www.englishclub.com/ref/Idioms/index.htm
http://www.thefreedictionary.com
In Vietnamese Dictionary, they say about idiom as follow:
“Thành ngữ là một tập hợp từ đã quen dùng mà nghĩa thường không giải
thích được một cách đơn giản bằng nghĩa thường của các từ tạo nên nó.”
(http://vi.m.wikiquote.org)
And according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary:
“An idiom can be defined as a number of words which when taken together,
it have a different meaning from the individual meaning of each word”.
(http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com)
In fact, this is what can make idioms all more confusing.
For example, the learner may know the words get and goat, and wonder why
she doesn’t understand the sentence “You get my goat” . In fact, she has little
chance of guessing out of context, that it means “You irritate me”
Or another example:
“break the leg”
- literal meaning : someone’s leg is broken and he or she should go to
the doctor afterwards to get it fixed.
- Idiomatic meaning : do your best and do well. Often, actors tell each
other to “break the leg” before they go out the stage to perform.
The definitions of idioms are many in our society. In my opinion, idioms consist
of set phrases and short sentences, which are peculiar to the language in question
and steeped in the national and regional culture and ideas, thus being colorful,
forcible and thought-provoking. Strictly speaking, idioms are expressions that
are not readily understandable from their literal meanings of individual
constituents. In a broad sense, idioms may include colloquialisms, catchphrases,
slang expressions, proverbs and so on.
1.1.2. Types of idioms
Idioms can be either short or long and they can have different forms or
structures. Their structure can be irregular or even gramatically incorrect. Seidl
and McMordie (McMordie and Seidl 1978) distinguish three main types of
idioms.
 Idioms are not always grammatical

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Since idioms are born out of popular usage, they aren’t always logical, and they
don’t always follow traditional grammar patterns.
This is because the phrase itself carries the meaning of the idiom, and not the
individual words in the phrase, regardless of each word’s grammatical function.
For example:
This is a life-and-death situation.
Something that is life-and-death is extremely important, but that phrase itself is
illogical. A situation can’t be life and death.
Similarly, a phrase like it’s not you, it’s me is technically ungrammatical.
 Idioms are not complete thoughts
As with any phrase, an idiom itself doesn’t create a complete sentence. They
require additional context to give them meaning.
For example:
Beat around the bush
This idiom is not a complete sentence. It’s the idea itself that is the idiom. One
might make it into a complete sentence by saying:
Don’t beat around the bush.
Or
He’s beating around the bush
 Idioms whose forms and meanings are both irregular
An idiom can have a regular structure, an irregular or even a grammatically
incorrect structure. The idiom “I am good friend with him” is irregular or
illogical in its grammatical structure. I is singular; why then is the correct form
in this case not I am a good friend with him?
This form is impossible although it is more logical; one would have to say: I am
a good friend of his. This is, therefore, an example of the kind of idiom where
the form and the meaning are both irregular.
In summary, an idiom is:
 A figure of speech
 A phrase that should not be taken literally
 Used to express a particular sentiment
(https://digilib.k.utb.cz/bitstream/handle/10563/7327/neva%C5%99ilov%C3%A
1_2008_bp.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)

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1.1.3. The importance of learning English idioms
Nowadays, English is the most widely used in the world and plays an important
role together with the development of society and technologies. English is not
only the effective means of communication but also shows its progressive
effects in many aspects of life. Practically, study on the similarities and
differences between the two languages and cultures of English and Vietnamese
has been one of my concerns when studying English at university. It is clear that
there are many differences between the two languages as grammar, lexicology,
translation, phonetics and so on. However there still exist plenty of similarities
and differences between English and Vietnamese that can be demonstrated
through metaphorical meaning especially in literature, idioms and proverbs
expression. This study of English idioms has been traditionally associated with
the study of literature, the use of idioms is not restricted to this kind of language.
A good understanding of how idioms are used in everyday language is not only
important for students of English to increase vocabulary, but also to understand
new and original idioms when we hear or speak them.
However, what I want to express here is that idioms are the genius of national
language that is the key to help learners know more about a nation, as well as
custom and culture of each country all over the world. So, I have studied idioms
for a long time because I find it interesting. It not only reflects concepts but also
refers to the characteristics of people and society. Each language has its own
system so it is not possible to switch usage from one language to another.
1.2. The characteristics of English idioms
Idioms have the following characteristics:
1.2.1. Non-compositionality
Katamba (1993) says that “The meaning of an idiom is not a straightforward
composition of the meaning of its parts”.
And according to Langacker (1986), “Idioms are widely defined as being non-
compositional or even compositional after the meaning is known”.
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249237935_Criteria_for_Re-
defining_Idioms_Are_we_Barking_up_the_Wrong_Tree)
Although the words that make up the idiom have their own literal meanings, in
the idiom they have lost their individual identity. We can not predict the
meaning of an idiom from the sum of its parts:
E.g: Kick up one’s heels (means “to celebrate”).

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Bite the bullet (means “to endure in a difficult situation”).
Hit the hay (means “to go to bed”).
1.2.2. Non-substitutability
a. Constituents can not be replaced
Constituents of idioms can not be changed or replaced. For example, “kick the
bucket” (means “to die”) can not be changed as “kick the pail” or “strike the
bucket”.
b. Word order can not be changed
The word order can not be inverted or changed. For instance, “by twos and
threes”, “at sixes and sevens” and “tit for tat” can not be turned into “by threes
and twos”, “at sevens and sixes” and “tat for tit”.
c. Constituents can not be deleted or added to
The constituents of an idiom cannot be deleted or added to, not even an article.
Take the idiom “out of the question” for example, it means “impossible”. If the
article “the” is deleted, the idiomatic will be lost and it will signify “no
question” instead.
1.2.3. Non-modifiability
We can not modify an idiom or apply syntactic transformations. Some idioms
are fixed, and do not present internal variation, while there is also a large
proportion of idioms that allow for different degrees of internal variability, and
with a variable number of elements.
Syntactically frozen idioms can not be syntactically transformed into the passive
and still retain their figurative meaning.
E.g:
John bought the farm # The farm was bought by John.
John bit the dust # The dust was bitten by John.
1.2.4. Institutionalization
According to Grant and Bauer (2004), institutionalization refers to the degree of
recognition a particular phrase meets in a speech community.
There are idioms that have cultural roots and are understood only by those
communities that share the same cultural values.
For example, people from different cultures can easily understand idioms such
as “cold as ice”, “firm as a rock”... due to their similar observation to the world.
On the other hand, owing to different living environments, social customs,
religions and other factors, some images can not raise resonance.

10
For instance, in Western countries, the navigation industry is fast developed and
they have many idioms which are related to sea life and people from countries of
continental civilization may not easily understand them.
E.g. a big fish: an important and influential person
a fresh fish: a new prisoner
a poor fish: a foolish person
(http://www.languageinindia.com/june2009/urduidioms.pdf)
1.3. The distinctions between idioms and proverbs.
1.3.1. English idioms and proverbs
If you say: "The cat is out of the bag" instead of "The secret is given away,"
you're using an idiom. But "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is a proverb.
Proverbs are old but familiar sayings that usually give advice unlike idioms.
Friedrich Seiler (1939) presented an important definition for proverb. He
defined proverb as follows: "The prominent, articulated, advisory, and free
speeches that are current in people's language."
A proverb is a complete sentence with a firm structure that is based on an
unchangeable foundation, like “where there's a will there's a way”, or “one who
seeks will find”. Proverbs represent a complete piece of information because
they can occur as a sentence. They are meaningful by themselves.
In contrast, idioms are not syntactically independent because they can not
always occur as full sentences, but as a part of a sentence. As it was said, the
difference between proverb and idiom pertains to their form, structure, and
function. Contrary to the proverbs, idioms are the general and current phrases
that must be substituted in sentences so as to obtain a complete sense. These
phrases can change according to time adverb, subject, and object. Explanation of
an idiom is possible in the sentence with some additions. In other words, the
meaning of a sentence is not perceived from its component words. Idioms carry
the substance of speech. They must be used in a complete idiom.
1.3.2. Vietnamese idioms and proverbs
From Pham Van Binh’s point of view, proverbs are section of folklore, that is,
they are a “complete work of literature”. Therefore, proverbs have all the
fundamental functions of literature such as the apprehension, aesthetics, and
education and so on. On the contrary, idioms are only section of language and an
idiom alone cannot express an idea completely, so it equals to word only. Hence,
they do not have functions as proverbs do and are often used to replace words so

11
that the expression effect of the sentient can be strengthened. Nguyen Dinh
Hung, another Vietnamese scholar, has approached a more detailed distinction
between them through the following table:
Distinctive features Idiom Proverbs
Grammatical structure A fixed phrase equivalent
to a word
Complete sentence
Literal function The aesthetic only The apprehension
The aesthetic
The education
Logical though form Expressing concept and
generalizing individual
phenomena
Expressing judgment
affirming attributive
phenomena
Function of language
forms
Noun denotation function
through words
↓
Language attribute
phenomena
Information function under
consciousness
↓
Social, cultural and
spiritual consciousness
phenomena of humans

12
1.4. Popular idiom examples
There are thousands of examples of idioms in English alone. Each language has
at least an equal amount, so this list is by no means exhaustive.
 Here are a few common English idioms.
Idioms Origin Meaning
Beauty is in the eye of
the beholder
The saying has existed
for centuries in various
forms; main creditor:
Margaret Wolfe
Hungerford, 1878
What looks beautiful to
one person may not look
beautiful to another.
Don’t count your
chickens before they
hatch.
Samuel Butler poem,
1663
Do not count on
something before it has
come to be
No crying over spilt milk unknown Do not be upset about
something that cannot be
changed or do not be
upset about something
that is really just a small
matter.
Curiosity killed the cat Proverb, Ben Jonson
play, 1598
Being too curious or
inquisitive can be
dangerous.
It’s raining cats and dogs unknown There is a heavy
downpour
Back to the drawing
board
Possibly artist Peter
Arno, 1941
Time to start from the
beginning.
The hay is in the barn unknown The action is complete. It
is finished.

13
A penny for your
thoughts
Perhaps English ruler
Penda, c.640
What are you thinking?
Beat around the bush Medieval Period Someone is avoiding the
topic.
You can’t judge a book
by its cover.
Mid-19th
century Do not assume you know
someone or something by
how he or it appears.
That costs an arm and a
leg
unknown That is very expensive
Play it by ear This sense of the phrase
dates back to the 16th
century, but the present
use only came into being
in mid-20th century
America, primarily
referring to sports
Playing something by ear
means that rather than
sticking to a defined
plan, you will see how
things go and decide on a
course of action as you
go along
Raining cats and dogs In 1651 in the poet Henry
Vaughan’s collection
Olor Iscanus
We Brits are known for
our obsession with the
weather, so we couldn’t
omit a rain-related idiom
from this list. It’s
“raining cats and dogs”
when it’s raining
particularly heavily
Turn a blind eye During the Battle of
Copenhagen in 1801
To “turn a blind eye” to
something means to
pretend not to have
noticed it.

14
Pot calling the kettle
black
First used in the literature
of the 1600s – notably
Don Quixote by
Cervantes
We use this expression to
refer to someone who
criticises someone else,
for something they
themselves are guilty of
Once in a blue moon In 1821 The phrase refers to
something that happens
very infrequently.
Mad as a hatter Lewis Carroll’s Mad
Hatter character in Alice
in Wonderland by 18th
and 19th
century
Mad as a hatter” refers to
someone who is
completely crazy. A
similar expression is
“mad as a March hare
Call it a day In 1919. This means to stop doing
something for the day,
for example work, either
temporarily or to give it
up completely.
Barking up the wrong
tree
the early 19th century If someone is “barking
up the wrong tree”, they
are pursuing a line of
thought or course of
action that is misguided.
Blow one’s own trumpet Anthony Trollope in his
1873 work Australia and
New Zealand
to boast about one’s own
achievements
In stitches in 1602 by Shakespeare
in Twelfth Night
If you’re “in stitches”,
you’re laughing so hard
that your sides hurt.

16
CHAPTER 2: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE IDIOMS
2.1. Similarities between English and Vietnamese idioms.
English- Vietnamese bilingual history is long, including a large number of
idioms and proverbs; however, we can see some common features of both two
idioms and proverbs.
The first commonality is that both idioms and proverbs are implicit,
humorous, serious, refined and particular. They are not only compendious, but
also vivid. They can give somebody a kind of beautiful enjoyment. Because of
geography, history, religious belief, living custom, etc…the difference of the
English - Vietnamese idioms is not bearing the weight of the people’s national
culture characteristic and culture information. They are linked to cultural
tradition closely so they are inalienable.
Secondly, we also find that many English and Vietnamese idioms have the
same meaning, awareness as well as presentation method although they still
remain national specific characteristics. Because of people being in the emotion,
there is similarity in respect of going through in the impression of objective
things and the society etc…These literal meanings of idioms and proverbs in the
English- Vietnamese ones and the image meaning are the same or approximate.
It is the same to imply the meaning, that is to say, the cultural information that
the literal meaning of this kind of idiom and image meaning express is the same,
it can translate each other.
For example:
- Xa mặt cách lòng.
(Out of sight, out of mind)
Thirdly, an English and Vietnamese proverb can consist of an idiom. For
example, the Vietnamese idiom:
Chồng yêu, xỏ chân lỗ mũi
consists of the idiom
Xỏ chân lỗ mũi
or the idiom
Bình chân như vại
in proverb

17
Cháy nhà hàng xóm, bình chân như vại.
2.2. Differences between English and Vietnamese idioms
The differences in the condition society create particular character and
culture of each nation; as a result, English and Vietnamese proverbs are quite
different from each other.
Firstly, idiom on life experience, weather, and nature occupying a
considerable part in the store of Vietnamese proverbs clearly present
particularity of agricultural inhabitants who connect closely to wet rice
cultivation.
For example:
Tốt giống, tốt má, tốt mạ, tốt lúa.
Muốn giàu nuôi trâu cái, muốn lụi bại nuôi bồ câu.
Đầu năm sương muối, cuối năm gió nồm .
Chuồn chuồn bay thấp thì mưa
Bay cao thì nắng bay vừa thì râm.
It is difficult to find English equivalent idioms because English proverbs mostly
reflect rather social relationship than natural one and work experience.
Secondly, anti-feudalism and class struggle spirits is expressed clearly and
drastically in Vietnamese idioms through subtle, profound, bitter and daring
words and images in order to denounce evils upper class as well as reflect
conflict between farmer and despotic landowner and corrupt mandarins.
For example:
Quan thấy kiện như kiến thấy mỡ.
Ngồi mát ăn bát vàng.
Hay làm thì đói, hay nói thì no.
Bà tiền bà thóc, bà cóc gì ai.
Giàu bán chó, khó bán con.
Vô phước bước cửa quan.
Quan hai, lại một.
Tuần hà là cha kẻ cướp.
Muốn nói gian làm quan mà nói.
On the contrary, anti-feudalism and class struggle spirits in English idoms are
quite slight and not drastic.
For example:
A cat may look at a King

18
(Chú mèo nhỏ dám ngó mặt vua)
One law for the rich and another for the poor
(Luật trước cho người giàu, luật sau cho kẻ khó)
Ceasar's wife must be above suspicion
(Vợ Xêda phải ở trên cả sự nghi ngờ)
Thirdly, there are some differences in using metaphor in idioms between two
nations. In English and Vietnamese idioms, many different symbols are used to
present the same idea, awareness, and criticism.
For example, the Vietnamese idiom:
Ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã
has a counterpart
Bird of a feather flock together
in which English people use symbol is that birds having the same feather flock
together.

19
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
3.1. Survey questionnaires on difficulties in learning English idiom at HPU
3.1.1. Participants
Students studies at Hai Phong Private University, aged between 18 to 23 years.
All these participants are students from different regions in Vietnam.
3.1.2. Purpose of survey questionnaires
 Helping students who improve and prevent from difficulties in learning
english idiom.
 Helping students solve problems when studying idioms as well as
understand the meaning and usage of English idioms.
3.1.3. Data analysis
Question 1
It is shown in the column chart all of the students who took part in the survey
got used to English as a second language for a long time.

20
Question 2
As we see, almost students (50%) thought that English is difficult while only
about 0% of them thought that English is very easy.
Question 3
The chart above shows the English idiom level of students are quite
different. Some students who rated their English idiom learning at the
intermediate level (13.33%%), Upper-intermediate level (10%%) and
advanced level (0%).

21
Question 4
Most of them spend 30 minutes on studying reading daily. The number of
students who study from an hour a day and more than an hour is very limited
with the same figure of 13,33%.
Question 5
As can be seen, students like learning English idioms only about 20%, but it is
about 80% when they don’t like learning English idiom.

22
Question 6
The pie chart illustrates how often learn english idiom the students do. The hard
working students who always learned new words assignments seemed to be the
least with only 3% student. 13% students sometimes learned new words and 3%
of them never did it.
Question 7 and question 8

23
Obviously, only a small proportion of students find those factors interesting
(16.67%%) and find it easy to learn. Other 53.33% students think that they are
normal. The rest of the students admit that the curriculum and the teaching
method are boring and difficult.

24
3.2. Student’s difficulties when learning English idioms
English is a language particularly rich in idiomatic expressions. Without
idioms, English would lose much of its variety and humor both in speech and
writing. Understanding the meaning and the context of the idiomatic expressions
will help students develop their English ability. Using idioms appropriately in
oral and written discourse also generates confidence in the student and respect in
those with whom he or she communicates for the rich vocabulary, concise
expressions and philosophical sayings form idioms.
Idiomatic expressions adds colour to every language in general and in English in
particular. Idioms brings us so many benefits but what challenges or problems
do non-native English learners have to face as they try to master the English
language?
3.2.1. The richness and diversity of the English idioms requires a
sufficient cultural background knowledge to fully comprehend and
master them.
English native speakers use idiomatic expressions all the time. However, they
can often be very difficult to comprehend. Thus, students often feel embarrassed
and frustrated if they can not understand them.
English idioms derived from the culture of the nation and from day-to-day life.
Learning idioms present a host of difficulties to English learners, primarily
because they don’t know the culture and history behind English idioms.
Many idioms, for instance, come from favorite traditional British activities such
as fighting, sailing, hunting and playing games. As well as being quite specialist
in meaning, some of the words in idioms were used two or three hundred years
ago, or longer, and can be a little obscure.
Even the majority of native language speakers can not always know the origin of
idioms they use, though as long as they utilize them in every day
communication, they know its meaning and feel where it is appropriate to use
this or that idiom. That is why students often use idioms incongruous with the
situation. They find idioms very problematic to both understand and memorize.

25
3.2.2. English idioms can not easily be understood by defining their
components.
Idiom is defined as an expression that does not mean what it literally says.
Hence, its meaning is often quite different from the word-for-word translation.
The meaning idioms convey is non-compositional. It implies that we cannot
understand the meaning of the whole phrase putting the meanings of each word
together. If we look at the individual words, it may not even make sense
grammatically. Idioms have the meaning only as a unit.
They can not be understood by defining the separate words. We cannot deduce
the meaning of the idiom from the individual words.
We may be able to guess the meaning from context but it is not easy to know the
meaning. In real context idioms explain themselves idioms carry their own
explanation.
3.2.3. Most of English idioms need to be understood basing on their
figurative meanings.
Most of English idioms need to be understood basing on their figurative
meanings rather than their literal meanings.
Idioms use language metaphorically. This means that the meaning of an idiom is
not the same as the meanings of the individual words in the idiom.
For example:
If you “go down memory lane”, this idiom means “think about the past” (the
metaphorical meaning), not “walk down a street called “Memory Lane” (the
literal meaning).
Idioms are fixed groups of words. This means that the wording of an idiom can
not be changed.
For example:
You can say “go down memory lane”, but you can't say “go down memory
street.”
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode68/langua
gepoint.shtml)
3.2.4. English idioms are fixed in their form, both in grammar and
vocabulary.

26
Idioms have lexical and grammatical stability. It implies that they are fixed in
their form, hence any substitutions and rearranging in their structure can lead to
complete loss of their idiomatic meaning.
Both the grammar and the vocabulary of an idiom are fixed, and if we
change it, we lose the meaning of that idiom. For instance, the idiom “pull your
socks up” means “improve the way you are behaving”. If we change it
grammatically to “pull up your sock” or we change its vocabulary to “pull your
stockings up”, then we must interpret the phrase literally for it has lost its
idiomatic meaning.
3.3. Some suggested solutions
With the above difficulties, how to overcome them is still a great question.
The following suggestions are to help Vietnamese learners in their English
studying.
3.3.1. Studying English idioms basing on classifying them into
categories.
Students should divide the idioms they have to learn into categories.
Dividing idioms into thematic categories will make them easier to learn. The
themes that can be used is various such as idioms of comparison, body, animal,
time, clothing, money, weather, proper names and so on. Learning the idioms
systematically will help learners avoid mistakes and remember them well.
a. Idioms of Comparison
Idioms of comparison (also called similes) are used in description of
people, their appearance, character, mood, actions, things, objects, places, etc.
Speakers and writers use similes to emphasize a certain characteristic of a thing.
In a simile, the words “like” or “as” are used to signal that a comparison is being
made between the two things.
The listener or reader can form a mental image of the comparison. This
increases understanding of what the speaker or writer is trying to communicate.
E.g: Working on her project, Mary was as busy as a beaver.
In the above example, “as busy as a beaver” is the simile, and as is the
word used to signal that a comparison is being made. The two things being
compared are “busy” and “beaver”. When building a dam a beaver keeps busily
working until the dam is completed. A mental image of Mary being as busy as a
beaver while working on her project would show her working very hard. This

27
would bring out that the speaker or writer is saying that Mary was putting a lot
of effort into her project and would keep working until it was completed.
Here are some more idioms of comparison with the structure “be + as ... as
As black as the Ace of Spades / soot / coal / midnight
As bold as brass / a coot / a lion
As bright as silver / noonday / day
As changeable as the weather / the moon
As red as fire / blood / a cherry / a rose
As sour as vinegar
As strong as an ox
As timid as a rabbit
As wet as a drowned rat
As white as snow
b. Body-related idioms
There are many English idiomatic expressions relating to various parts of the
body.
Idioms Meaning Examples
cold feet nervous just before a big
event
My sister didn't get cold
feet until she put her
wedding gown on
cost an arm and a leg be very expensive These cakes are
delicious, but they cost
an arm and a leg.
face the music meet, stand up to
unpleasant conseqences,
for example criticism or
punishment
I stayed out all night.
When I eventually got
home I had to face the
music from my wife.
have one's head in the
clouds
be unaware or unrealistic
about something
Amy has her head in the
clouds if she thinks she's
going to pass her exams
without studying.
learn by heart, know by
heart
memorize I learned my
multiplication tables by
heart in the fourth grade

28
let one's hair down relax, have fun Go to the cottage and let
your hair down this
weekend.

29
pat on the back recognition or a thank-
you
The party organizers
deserve a pat on the back
for a job well done.
thick in the head not very intelligent I'm a bit thick in the head
when it comes to reading
a map.
wash one's hands of
something
stop dealing with an
issue or problem
I'm washing my hands of
Mary's addiction. She is
going to have to get
some professional help
keep one's chin up try to be cheerful Keep your chin up. I'm
sure you'll make some
friends soon.
3.3.2. Studying English idioms through their origins.
Idioms are like the human being. They must go through the process of
being born, growing up, developing and changing. There are many idiomatic
expressions used today originated long ago. We discovered that each of the
idioms has its own life and destiny. Behind each idiom, there is a story or an
incident preceding it helping students easily remember to use in their daily
communication. Besides, every idiom holds a philosophy, an outlook or a life
experience stimulated from generation to generation of the native people that
students should show their concern for. Using idioms in writings, speeches and
in daily conversations has become an artistic style of communicating. Through
the following examples, students may clearly understand the background of
some idiomatic expressions in order to apply to the suitable situations in life.
For examples:
1. “Break a leg” (A wish of good luck, do well).
E.g: “Break a leg in your game today!”
“Break a leg” is sourced in superstition. It is a wish of good luck, but the
words wish just the opposite.
2. “Cat bird seat” (A highly advantaged position, to have it all).
E.g: “Some might describe Bill Gates as sitting in the cat bird seat”.

30
Mocking birds are sometimes referred to as cat birds. Mocking birds
typically sit at the top of a tree. Hence the cat bird seat is at the top
3. “Long in the tooth” (To be getting old).
E.g: “Daddy needs a new Porsche. The old one is getting a bit long in the
tooth”.
The age of a horse can be roughly determined by examining its teeth, since
a horse's gums recede as they age. The longer the teeth of a horse appear to be,
the older the horse.
3.3.3. Studying English idioms through pictures, songs, games, etc.
Learning English through images is probably not too strange for children and
Vietnamese. By practical memory memorization, learner will remember the
reading, vocabulary or grammar more deeply.
One of the most effective ways to learn and remember English idioms is
studying them through pictures. They will help illustrate the usage and convey
the meaning of each idiom. Then the meaning never escapes from our mind.
For example:

31
Besides, in the studying process, students should do everything possible to
create for themselves a language environment to strengthen the enthusiasm in
order to be in a relaxed atmosphere to learn effectively: learning and updating
new idioms through listening English songs, playing idiomatic games on the
Internet and study from other sources such as books, newspapers, magazines,
television shows, advertisements and film dialogues where many idioms are
commonly used, stick the notes in locations where they will be seen often, think
up conversations which allow to use an idiom and practice it with the
classmates, etc. Finally, practicing to use idioms a number of times will help
learners master them well.
3.3.4. Comparing English idioms and their Vietnamese equivalents.
Searching and comparing English and Vietnamese idiomatic expressions is
really an effective and attractive way to learn, to remember and to strengthen the
translating ability as well.
Because English and Vietnamese idioms have some similarities, we can
combine these things and idioms can become very easy to remember.
For example, we have the idiom: “in the same boat”. Of course, at the first time
we can not figure out what its meaning is. But we know the meaning of the
words that make the phrase, so with the figurative meaning, we can conclude
that the idiom refers to “in the same situation.”
When facing an idiomatic expression, students should ask themselves if they
know any of the idioms translated directly into their own language. If they know
a similar expression in their mother tongue, it can help them to remember very
well.

32
3.3.5. Learning five to ten idioms each week.
Students should not be impatient and overload themselves with too many idioms at
a time. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. There are many people who learn this way
and remember them for a long time, but for those who have a non-scientific way of
learning and try to cram many words each week, this is a way that doesn’t seem to
be very suitable. Five to ten is probably a good number for each week.
3.3.6. Making a guess at the meaning of idioms before checking them in
dictionaries.
Of course the meaning of idioms should contribute to the meaning of the whole
sentence, to emphasize and to clarify the meaning. We should guess idioms in
the context of a sentence and the paragraph so as to understand the general idea
of that sentence and then check it again in the dictionary. If students learn
idioms in this way, they can remember them quickly and easily.
It is sometimes possible to find a Vietnamese idiom or expression with a similar
meaning to an English idiom or expression which is expressed in the same way.
For example:
The idiom:
to fight like cats and dog
is expressed using the same words in Vietnamese:
Cãi nhau như chó với mèo
3.3.7. Making sentences when learning a new idiom.
First, students should understand new idioms in contexts. Then they should try
to imagine the situations when people actually use the idiomatic expressions you
are studying and make sentences or create dialogues to reinforce the meaning of
each idiom.
Another important when look at the context. What are people talking about?
What’s being discussed? What’s the topic of conversation? Once you know that,
you will find it easier to work out the meaning of the idiom. Also, pay careful
attention to the co-text. For example, what do you think this idiom means?
3.3.8. Studying idiomatic expressions through English songs, poems, funny
stories, media communication, idiom games and quizzes, etc.
Students should do everything possible to create for themselves a linguistic
environment to strengthen the enthusiasm in order to be in a relaxing
atmosphere to learn them effectively: learning and updating new idioms through
listening English songs and poems, playing idiomatic games on the Internet and

33
studying from other sources such as English books, newspapers, magazines,
television shows, advertisements and film dialogues where many idioms and
proverbs are commonly used, sticking the idiom and proverb notes in locations
where they will be seen often, using computer software to learn and check the
knowledge of idioms and proverbs, etc. With these methods, students can feel
relaxed and excited during the studying process.
The following poem of simile idioms is a typical example helping students
create inspiration to study idiomatic expressions well:
Clever
As poor as a church mouse
As strong as an ox
As cute as a button
As smart as a fox
As thin as a toothpick
As white as a ghost
As fit as a fiddle
As dumb as a post
As bald as an eagle
As neat as a pin
As proud as a peacock
As ugly as sin
Use fresh similes when
you speak and you write,
so your friends will think you are
quite clever and bright.
(http://www.poetryteachers.com/poetclass/lessons/teachsimiles.html)
Idioms are a “piece of cake” or a “hard nut to crack”, it is up to our
determination. So let’s “roll up our sleeves” (get ready to start work), then “get
our noses to the grindstone” (start working hard) and learn idioms and proverbs
“until the cows come home” (for a long time)

34
PART III: CONCLUSION
1. Conclusion
Thanks to idioms people can express their thought and feelings flexibly, exactly
and vividly. Therefore, it is necessary to understand them well to guess their
meanings and get information correctly. However, due to my limitation of time
as well as my knowledge, I have just mentioned some certain aspects of theory
of idiom presented in the background part (chapter I), with the hope that readers
can have basic knowledge of them and identify them better.
There are many sources of idioms in this paper. I only focus on some issues
mentioned in chapter II. I not only find this topic a lot of interesting things but
also know more idioms from its usage, culture and life in each. Some English
idioms are represented in the paper in comparison with Vietnamese equivalences
to find the similarities and difficulties in the way of using metaphor but each of
them expresses one meaning, sometimes two idioms have the same meaning and
this brings learners interesting things.
Learning idioms is not an easy task, so students often get confused in defining,
memorizing and using them. To overcome these, some solutions are introduced
in chapter III such as learning them by heart, reading books, magazine, stories
pictures and studying culture of each country.
My paper is a very small part of English idioms but I hope that it can contribute
partly to learner’s process of studying English. All advice, contributions come
from teachers will make my paper better and better.
2. Suggestions for further study.
Due to the limitation of my knowledge and time, this paper could not go
thought all aspects of English idioms as well as Vietnamese equivalence. So in
order to get more comprehensive understanding of this subject, I advise you to
study more. I hope that in the future I would like to continue studying this
interesting subject. And I would like to take factors relating this theme such as
history, society into account to have a different look in the study.

35
REFERENCES
1. Nguyễn Thị Thu Hường, (2009) "English idioms, proverbs and saying
relating to relationship", Cambridge: Haiphong Private University
2. Vũ Hoàng Thảo, (2010) “The study on techniques to learn English idioms and
proverbs”, Cambridge: Haiphong Private University
3. Lê Thị Thanh Trà, (2010) “A study on English food-related idioms and
proverbs and equivalents in Vietnamese”, Cambridge: Haiphong Private
University
4. Unravelling Urdu Idioms (Dubrovin, 1995; Dean Curry, 1994; Moon, 198;
Collins, 2000) from http://www.languageinindia.com/june2009/urduidioms.pdf
5. Irujo (1986) from
http://pc171115.pc.waseda.ac.jp/ccdl/cl_korea/0515_handout-body.html
6. McMordie and Seidl (1978) Distinguish three main types of idioms
7. Criteria for Re-defining Idioms (Katamba, 1993; Langacker, 1986) from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249237935_Criteria_for_Re-
defining_Idioms_Are_we_Barking_up_the_Wrong_Tree
8. Grant and Bauer (2004) Institutionalization refers to the degree of recognition
a particular phrase meets in a speech community
9. Friendrich Seiler (1939) The prominent, articulated, advisory, and free
speeches that are current in people’s language
10. Phạm Văn Bình (1996) Tục ngữ, Thành ngữ tiếng Anh
11. Nguyễn Đình Hùng, Thành ngữ, tục ngữ, ca dao Việt Anh thông dụng, NXB
Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, 2007
12. http://www.alienartifacts.com/Idiom/encyclopedia.htm
13. http://www.languageinindia.com/june2009/urduidioms.pdf
14. http://www.poetryteachers.com/poetclass/lessons/teachsimiles.html
15.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode68/languag
epoint.shtml
16. http://www.idiomconnection.com/whatis.html
17.
https://digilib.k.utb.cz/bitstream/handle/10563/7327/neva%C5%99ilov%C3%A
1_2008_bp.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

36
18. http://www.englishclub.com/ref/Idioms/index.htm
19. http://www.languageinindia.com/june2009/urduidioms.pdf
20. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
21. http://vi.m.wikiquote.org
22. http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
23.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode68/languag
epoint.shtml
24. http://www.poetryteachers.com/poetclass/lessons/teachsimiles.html.

37
APPENDIX
Questionnaire for students
This questionnaire is meant for a study on the causes of difficulties in
learning English idioms of students at Faculties of Foreign Languages. Your
answers will be strictly confidential and used only for the purposes of the
research. Your co-operation will be highly appreciated.
(Bảng câu hỏi này nhằm phục vụ cho nghiên cứu về nguyên nhân dẫn đến
những khó khăn trong việc học thành ngữ tiếng anh của sinh viên khoa ngoại
ngữ. Các câu trả lời của bạn sẽ hoàn toàn được giữ bí mật và chỉ được sử dụng
vào mục đích nghiên cứu. Tôi sẽ rất đánh giá cao sự hợp tác của bạn)
Section I: Personal information (Thông tin cá nhân)
1. Name (Tên)…………………….………………………………...............
2. Age (Tuổi):…………………………………………………………….…
3. Hometown (Quê quán):…………………………………………….…….
4. Class (Lớp):………………………………………………………….…...
Section II: Questions (Câu hỏi)
1) How long has you learned English? (Thời gian học tiếng anh của bạn là bao lâu?)
a) Over 10 years (Hơn 10 năm)
b) From 5 years to 10 years (Từ 5 đến 10 năm)
c) Less than 5 years (It hơn 5 năm)
d) Other (Khác)
2) How do you fell when you study English? (Bạn cảm thấy thế nào khi học
tiếng anh?)
a) Very easy (Rất dễ)
b) Easy (Dễ)

38
c) Normal (Bình thường)
d) Difficult (Khó)
e) Very difficult (Rất khó)
3) What do you think of your English idiom level? (Bạn nghĩ gì về trình độ đọc
thành ngữ tiếng Anh của bạn?)
a) Elementary (Cơ bản)
b) Pre-intermediate (Tiền Trung cấp)
c) Intermediate (Trung cấp)
d) Upper-intermediate (Trên trung cấp)
e) Advanced (Cấp cao)
4) How much time do you spend on studying English idiom daily? ( Hàng ngày
bạn dành bao nhiêu thời gian cho việc học thành ngữ tiếng Anh?)
a) 30 minutes a day (Mỗi ngày 30 phút)
b) An hour a day (Mỗi ngày 1 tiếng)
c) Two hours a day (Mỗi ngày 2 tiếng)
d) Other:…………………..
5) Do you like learning English idioms? (Bạn có thích học thành ngữ tiếng
anh?)
a) Yes (Có)
b) No (Không)
6) Are you in a habit of learning new words from idioms? (Bạn có thói quen học
từ mới từ các thành ngữ?)
a) Always (luôn luôn)
b) Usually (thường thường)
c) Sometimes (Thi thoảng)
d) Hardly ever (Hiếm khi)
e) Never (Không bao giờ)
7) How do you feel about the teaching method when teaching idioms? (Bạn cảm

39
thấy thế nào về phương pháp giảng dạy của giáo viên khi dạy thành ngữ?)
a) Very Interesting (Rất thú vị)
b) Interesting (Thú vị)
d) Boring (Chán)
e) Very boring (Rất chán)
8) What do you think about the curriculum being used for teaching English
idioms at HPU? (Bạn nghĩ gì về chương trình giảng dạy đang được sử dụng để
dạy thành ngữ tiếng Anh tại HPU?)
a) Very Interesting (Rất thú vị)
b) Interesting (Thú vị)
d) Boring (Chán)
e) Very boring (Rất chán)
Thank you for your cooperation!
(Cảm ơn về sự hợp tác của bạn!)

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